Karnivool, ShockOne,Over-reactor @ ANU Bar,Canberra (15/6/11)

Fri 17th Jun, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Karnivool took some time out from the production of their new opus for a slew of shows around the country, stopping by the capital with an eccentric blend of support acts that made for a genre-traversing and moshingly good spectacle.

Over-reactor frontman Ezekial Ox gave it his all during the opening act, at once everywhere and nowhere on stage – moving about with boundless energy that demanded attention; spitting out a bombardment of lyrics with venomous agility. The Melbourne duo’s self described ‘death-hop’ sound wasn’t exactly salivating to everyone’s taste, which is understandable considering the ridiculously diverse fan-base Karnivool is blessed with. It seemed to grow on Ox’s nerves a little; resorting to dragging the mic lead behind him as he leapt off stage and confronted those at the bar; berating people who paid for their ticket, before calling on those swarmed around the stage to express their disdain at those who weren’t really feeling it. An otherwise entertaining and intriguing set from a band that clearly love what they do.

ShockOne (aka Karl Thomas) quickly followed on, setting the refectory awash with drum and bass that unfortunately had the same issues as the act before; people expecting a Karnivool cover band were abandoning ship. The more open-minded who stayed to watch ShockOne were treated to something a bit different for what Canberra usually has to offer, leaving the others with jaws agape to watch the footy with vacant expressions.

Horns went up as Karnivool tore into the top end of 2009’s Sound Awake; seamlessly running through Goliath and Simple Boy before offering a tasty glimpse of what’s to be expected from the upcoming album; delicious poly-rhythm-laden goodness with a good measure of jarring discordance to keep the metal-heads happy whilst still leaving room for Ian Kenny’s unmistakable influence. A stirring rendition of Persona, which it seems has almost become the band’s anthem, kept the pit fired up nicely and the energy at an almost constant frenetic pace that refused to weaken. A flawless mix for all intensive purposes left each instrument fairly represented; putting on display the overwhelming talent compacted onto stage. The entire set drew the obvious comparisons ( Tool, Meshuggah, Pink Floyd) that have been keeping adolescent boys at war online for years now. Cote and Shutterspeed came towards the end of a set that touched across the band’s entire body of work and represented Karnivool’s sound perfectly. An encore that guaranteed value for money sealed the deal, the overwhelming applause only reinforcing Karnivool’s status as one of Australia’s most interesting and rewarding live acts.